II Chronicles 16-20

II Chronicles 16

¹In the thirty and sixth year of the reign of Asa, come up hath Baasha king of Israel, against Judah, and buildeth Ramah, so as not to permit any going out and coming in to Asa king of Judah.

²And Asa bringeth out silver and gold from the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king, and sendeth unto Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who is dwelling in Damascus, saying,

³‘A covenant [is] between me and thee, and between my father and thy father, lo, I have sent to thee silver and gold; go, break thy covenant with Baasha king of Israel, and he doth go up from off me.'

⁴And Ben-Hadad hearkeneth unto king Asa, and sendeth the heads of the forces that he hath unto cities of Israel, and they smite Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-Maim, and all the stores, cities of Naphtali.

⁵And it cometh to pass, at Baasha's hearing, that he ceaseth from building Ramah, and letteth his work rest;

⁶and Asa the king hath taken all Judah, and they bear away the stones of Ramah, and its wood, that Baasha hath built, and he buildeth with them Geba and Mizpah.

⁷And at that time hath Hanani the seer come in unto Asa king of Judah, and saith unto him, ‘Because of thy leaning on the king of Aram, and thou hast not leaned on Jehovah thy God, therefore hath the force of the king of Aram escaped from thy hand.

⁸Did not the Cushim and the Lubim become a very great force for multitude, for chariot, and for horsemen? and in thy leaning on Jehovah He gave them into thy hand,

⁹for Jehovah -- His eyes go to and fro in all the earth, to show Himself strong [for] a people whose heart [is] perfect towards Him; thou hast been foolish concerning this, because -- henceforth there are with thee wars.'

¹⁰And Asa is angry at the seer, and giveth him to the house of torture, for [he is] in a rage with him for this; and Asa oppresseth [some] of the people at that time.

¹¹And lo, the matters of Asa, the first and the last, lo, they are written on the book of the kings of Judah and Israel.

¹²And Asa is diseased -- in the thirty and ninth year of his reign -- in his feet, till his disease is excessive, and also in his disease he hath not sought Jehovah, but among physicians.

¹³And Asa lieth with his fathers, and dieth in the forty and first year of his reign,

¹⁴and they bury him in [one of] his graves, that he had prepared for himself in the city of David, and they cause him to lie on a bed that [one] hath filled [with] spices, and divers kinds of mixtures, with perfumed work; and they burn for him a burning -- very great.

II Chronicles 17

¹And Jehoshaphat his son reigneth in his stead, and he strengtheneth himself against Israel,

²and putteth a force in all the fenced cities of Judah, and putteth garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured.

³And Jehovah is with Jehoshaphat, for he hath walked in the first ways of David his father, and hath not sought to Baalim,

⁴for to the God of his father he hath sought, and in His commands he hath walked, and not according to the work of Israel.

⁵And Jehovah doth establish the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah give a present to Jehoshaphat, and he hath riches and honour in abundance,

⁶and his heart is high in the ways of Jehovah, and again he hath turned aside the high places and the shrines out of Judah.

⁷And in the third year of his reign he hath sent for his heads, for Ben-Hail, and for Obadiah, and for Zechariah, and for Nethaneel, and for Michaiah, to teach in cities of Judah,

⁸and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijath, and Tob-Adonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests.

⁹And they teach in Judah, and with them [is] the Book of the Law of Jehovah, and they go round about into all cities of Judah, and teach among the people.

¹⁰And here is a fear of Jehovah on all kingdoms of the lands that [are] round about Judah, and they have not fought with Jehoshaphat;

¹¹and of the Philistines they are bringing in to Jehoshaphat a present, and tribute silver; also, the Arabians are bringing to him a flock, rams seven thousand an seven hundred, and he-goats seven thousand and seven hundred.

¹²And Jehoshaphat is going on and becoming very great, and he buildeth in Judah palaces and cities of store,

¹³and he hath much work in cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty of valour, [are] in Jerusalem.

¹⁴And these [are] their numbers, for the house of their fathers: Of Judah, heads of thousands, Adnah the head, and with him mighty ones of valour, three hundred chiefs.

¹⁵And at his hand [is] Jehohanan the head, and with him two hundred and eighty chiefs.

¹⁶And at his hand [is] Amasiah son of Zichri, who is willingly offering himself to Jehovah, and with him two hundred chiefs, mighty of valour.

¹⁷And of Benjamin: mighty of valour, Eliada, and with him, armed with bow and shield, two hundred chiefs.

¹⁸And at his hand [is] Jehozabad, and with him a hundred and eighty chiefs, armed ones of the host.

¹⁹These [are] those serving the king, apart from those whom the king put in the cities of fortress, in all Judah.

II Chronicles 18

¹And Jehoshaphat hath riches and honour in abundance, and joineth affinity to Ahab,

²and goeth down at the end of [certain] years unto Ahab to Samaria, and Ahab sacrificeth for him sheep and oxen in abundance, and for the people who [are] with him, and persuadeth him to go up unto Ramoth-Gilead.

³And Ahab king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ‘Dost thou go with me [to] Ramoth-Gilead?' And he saith to him, ‘As I -- so thou, and as thy people -- my people, even with thee in battle.'

⁴And Jehoshaphat saith unto the king of Israel, ‘Seek, I pray thee, this day, the word of Jehovah.'

⁵And the king of Israel gathereth the prophets, four hundred men, and saith unto them, ‘Do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' And they say, ‘Go up, and God doth give [it] into the hand of the king.'

⁶And Jehoshaphat saith, ‘Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah still, and we seek from him?'

⁷And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, ‘Still -- one man to seek Jehovah from him, and I -- I have hated him, for he is not prophesying concerning me of good, but all his days of evil, he [is] Micaiah son of Imlah;' and Jehoshaphat saith, ‘Let not the king say so.'

⁸And the king of Israel calleth unto a certain officer, and saith, ‘Hasten Micaiah son of Imlah.'

⁹And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah are sitting, each on his throne, clothed with garments, and they are sitting in a threshing-floor at the opening of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets are prophesying before them.

¹⁰And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah maketh for himself horns of iron, and saith, ‘Thus said Jehovah,

¹¹With these thou dost push Aram till thou hast consumed them.' And all the prophets are prophesying so, saying, ‘Go up [to] Ramath-Gilead and prosper, and Jehovah hath given [it] into the hand of the king.'

¹²And the messenger who hath gone to call for Micaiah hath spoken unto him, saying, ‘Lo, the words of the prophets -- one mouth -- [are] good towards the king, and let, I pray thee, thy word be like one of theirs: and thou hast spoken good.'

¹³And Micaiah saith ‘Jehovah liveth, surely that which my God saith, it I speak.'

¹⁴And he cometh in unto the king, and the king saith unto him, ‘Micaiah, do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' And he saith, ‘Go ye up, and prosper, and they are given into your hand.'

¹⁵And the king saith unto him, ‘How many times am I adjuring thee, that thou speak unto me only truth in the name of Jehovah?'

¹⁶And he saith, ‘I have seen all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd, and Jehovah saith, There are no masters to these, they turn back each to his house in peace.'

¹⁷And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, ‘Did I not say unto thee, He doth not prophesy concerning me good, but rather of evil?'

¹⁸And he saith, ‘Therefore, hear ye a word of Jehovah: I have seen Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing on His right and His left;

¹⁹and Jehovah saith, Who doth entice Ahab king of Israel, and he doth go up and fall in Ramoth-Gilead? And this speaker saith thus, and that speaker thus.

²⁰And go out doth the spirit, and stand before Jehovah, and saith, I do entice him; and Jehovah saith unto him, With what?

²¹and he saith, I go out, and have become a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And He saith, Thou dost entice, and also, thou art able; go out and do so.

²²And, now, lo, Jehovah hath put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of these thy prophets, and Jehovah hath spoken concerning thee -- evil.'

²³And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah cometh nigh, and smiteth Micaiah on the cheek, and saith, ‘Where [is] this -- the way the Spirit of Jehovah passed over from me to speak with thee?'

²⁴And Micaiah saith, ‘Lo, thou dost see in that day, that thou dost enter into the innermost chamber to be hidden.'

²⁵And the king of Israel saith, ‘Take ye Micaiah, and turn him back unto Amon head of the city, and unto Joash son of the king,

²⁶and ye have said, Thus said the king, Put ye this [one] in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat bread of oppression, and water of oppression, till my return in peace.'

²⁷And Micaiah saith, ‘If thou dost certainly return in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me;' and he saith, ‘Hear ye, O peoples, all of them!'

²⁸And the king of Israel goeth up, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, unto Ramoth-Gilead;

²⁹and the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat to disguise himself, and to go into battle, ‘And thou, put on thy garments.' And the king of Israel disguiseth himself, and they go into battle.

³⁰And the king of Aram hath commanded the heads of the charioteers whom he hath, saying, ‘Ye do not fight with small or with great, except with the king of Israel by himself.'

³¹And it cometh to pass at the heads of the charioteers seeing Jehoshaphat, that they have said, ‘The king of Israel he is,' and they turn round against him to fight, and Jehoshaphat crieth out, and Jehovah hath helped him, and God enticeth them from him,

³²yea, it cometh to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing that it hath not been the king of Israel -- they turn back from after him.

³³And a man hath drawn with a bow, in his simplicity, and smiteth the king of Israel between the joinings and the coat of mail, and he saith to the charioteer, ‘Turn thy hand, and thou hast brought me out of the camp, for I have become sick.'

³⁴And the battle increaseth on that day, and the king of Israel hath been stayed up in the chariot over-against Aram till the evening, and he dieth at the time of the going in of the sun.

II Chronicles 19

¹And Jehoshaphat king of Judah turneth back unto his house in peace to Jerusalem,

²and go out unto his presence doth Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, and saith unto king Jehoshaphat, ‘To give help to the wicked, and to those hating Jehovah, dost thou love? and for this against thee [is] wrath from before Jehovah,

³but good things have been found with thee, for thou hast put away the shrines out of the land, and hast prepared thy heart to seek God.'

⁴And Jehoshaphat dwelleth in Jerusalem, and he turneth back and goeth out among the people from Beer-Sheba unto the hill-country of Ephraim, and bringeth them back unto Jehovah, God of their fathers.

⁵And he establisheth judges in the land, in all the fenced cities of Judah, for every city,

⁶and saith unto the judges, ‘See what ye are doing -- for not for man do ye judge, but for Jehovah, who [is] with you in the matter of judgment;

⁷and now, let fear of Jehovah be upon you, observe and do, for there is not with Jehovah our God perverseness, and acceptance of faces, and taking of a bribe.'

⁸And also in Jerusalem hath Jehoshaphat appointed of the Levites, and of the priests, and of the heads of the fathers of Israel, for the judgment of Jehovah, and for strife; and they turn back to Jerusalem,

⁹and he layeth a charge upon them, saying, ‘Thus do ye do in the fear of Jehovah, in faithfulness, and with a perfect heart,

¹⁰and any strife that cometh in unto you of your brethren who are dwelling in their cities, between blood and blood, between law and command, statutes, and judgments, then ye have warned them and they become not guilty before Jehovah, and wrath hath not been on you and on your brethren; thus do ye do, and ye are not guilty.

¹¹‘And, lo, Amariah the head priest [is] over you for every matter of Jehovah, and Zebadiah son of Ishmael, the leader of the house of Judah, [is] for every matter of the king, and officers the Levites [are] before you; be strong and do, and Jehovah is with the good.'

II Chronicles 20

¹And it cometh to pass after this, the sons of Moab have come in, and the sons of Ammon, and with them of the peoples, against Jehoshaphat to battle.

²And they come in and declare to Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘Come against thee hath a great multitude from beyond the sea, from Aram, and lo, they [are] in Hazezon-Tamar -- it [is] En-Gedi.'

³And Jehoshaphat feareth, and setteth his face to seek to Jehovah, and proclaimeth a fast over all Judah;

⁴and Judah is gathered to inquire of Jehovah; also, from all the cities of Judah they have come in to seek Jehovah.

⁵And Jehoshaphat standeth in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of Jehovah, at the front of the new court,

⁶and saith, ‘O Jehovah, God of our fathers, art not Thou -- God in the heavens? yea, Thou art ruling over all kingdoms of the nations, and in Thy hand [is] power and might, and there is none with Thee to station himself.

⁷‘Art not Thou our God? Thou hast dispossessed the inhabitants of this land from before Thy people Israel, and dost give it to the seed of Abraham Thy friend to the age,

⁸and they dwell in it, and build to Thee in it a sanctuary for Thy name, saying,

⁹If evil doth come upon us -- sword, judgment, and pestilence, and famine -- we stand before this house, and before Thee, for Thy name [is] in this house, and cry unto Thee out of our distress, and Thou dost hear and save.

¹⁰‘And now, lo, sons of Ammon, and Moab, and mount Seir, whom Thou didst not grant to Israel to go in against in their coming out of the land of Egypt, for they turned aside from off them and destroyed them not,

¹¹and lo, they are recompensing to us -- to come in to drive us out of Thy possession, that Thou hast caused us to possess.

¹²‘O our God, dost Thou not execute judgment upon them? for there is no power in us before this great multitude that hath come against us, and we know not what we do, but on Thee [are] our eyes.'

¹³And all Judah are standing before Jehovah, also their infants, their wives, and their sons.

¹⁴And upon Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, the Levite, of the sons of Asaph, hath the Spirit of Jehovah been, in the midst of the assembly,

¹⁵and he saith, ‘Attend, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and O king Jehoshaphat, Thus said Jehovah to you, Ye fear not, nor are afraid of the face of this great multitude, for not for you [is] the battle, but for God.

¹⁶To-morrow, go ye down against them, lo, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and ye have found them in the end of the valley, the front of the wilderness of Jeruel.

¹⁷Not for you to fight in this; station yourselves, stand, and see the salvation of Jehovah with you, O Judah and Jerusalem -- be not afraid nor fear ye -- to-morrow go out before them, and Jehovah [is] with you.'

¹⁸And Jehoshaphat boweth -- face to the earth -- and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem have fallen before Jehovah, to bow themselves to Jehovah.

¹⁹And the Levites, of the sons of the Kohathites, and of the sons of the Korhites, rise to give praise to Jehovah, God of Israel, with a loud voice on high.

²⁰And they rise early in the morning, and go out to the wilderness of Tekoa, and in their going out Jehoshaphat hath stood and saith, ‘Hear me, O Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem, remain stedfast in Jehovah your God, and be stedfast; remain stedfast in His prophets, and prosper.'

²¹And he taketh counsel with the people, and appointeth singers to Jehovah, and those giving praise to the honour of holiness, in the going out before the armed [men], and saying, ‘Give ye thanks to Jehovah, for to the age [is] His kindness.'

²²And at the time they have begun with singing and praise, Jehovah hath put ambushments against the sons of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, who are coming in to Judah, and they are smitten,

²³and the sons of Ammon stand up, and Moab, against the inhabitants of mount Seir, to devote and to destroy, and at their finishing with the inhabitants of Seir, they helped, a man against his neighbour, to destroy.

²⁴And Judah hath come in unto the watch-tower, to the wilderness, and they look unto the multitude, and lo, they [are] carcases fallen to the earth, and there is none escaped,

²⁵and Jehoshaphat cometh in, and his people, to seize their spoil, and they find among them, in abundance, both goods and carcases, and desirable vessels, and they take spoil to themselves without prohibition, and they are three days seizing the spoil, for it [is] abundant.

²⁶And on the fourth day they have been assembled at the valley of Blessing, for there they blessed Jehovah: therefore they have called the name of that place, ‘Valley of Blessing,' unto this day.

²⁷And they turn back, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, to go back unto Jerusalem with joy, for Jehovah hath made them rejoice over their enemies.

²⁸And they come in to Jerusalem with psalteries, and with harps, and with trumpets, unto the house of Jehovah.

²⁹And there is a fear of God on all kingdoms of the lands in their hearing that Jehovah hath fought with the enemies of Israel,

³⁰and the kingdom of Jehoshaphat is quiet, and his God giveth rest to him round about.

³¹And Jehoshaphat reigneth over Judah, a son of thirty and five years in his reigning, and twenty and five years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother [is] Azubah daughter of Shilhi.

³²And he walketh in the way of his father Asa, and hath not turned aside from it, to do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah.

³³Only, the high places have not turned aside, and still the people have not prepared their heart for the God of their fathers.

³⁴And the rest of the matters of Jehoshaphat, the first and the last, lo, they are written among the matters of Jehu son of Hanani, who hath been mentioned on the book of the kings of Israel.

³⁵And after this hath Jehoshaphat king of Judah joined himself with Ahaziah king of Israel, (he did wickedly in [so] doing),

³⁶and he joineth him with himself to make ships to go to Tarshish, and they make ships in Ezion-Geber,

³⁷and prophesy doth Eliezer son of Dodavah, of Mareshah, against Jehoshaphat, saying, ‘For thy joining thyself with Ahaziah, Jehovah hath broken up thy works;' and the ships are broken, and have not retained [power] to go unto Tarshish.